Frank Mason’s next NBA opportunity comes in Los Angeles

By Matt Tait     Oct 6, 2021

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Orlando Magic guard Frank Mason III moves the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Former Kansas standout Frank Mason is getting another shot in the NBA.

This time it comes with a veritable all-star team of legends in Los Angeles.

According to a tweet from NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Mason has signed a training camp deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now in his fifth season as a pro, Mason, if he sticks, will be playing with his fourth team in that time. After being drafted by Sacramento and spending two seasons in the California capital, Mason spent the 2019-20 season splitting his time between the Milwaukee Bucks and Milwaukee’s G League team. He followed that up with a short stint in Orlando in 2020-21.

The former college national player of the year appeared in 103 games during those four seasons, making three starts and averaging 6.7 points in 15.7 minutes per game.

In 2020, Mason was named the G League MVP after a stellar stint with the Wisconsin Herd.

He played for the Philadelphia 76ers Summer League squad this summer before being released. Upon his release, Mason tweeted: “I want to give a big thanks to the @sixers organization for giving me an opportunity to join their summer league team. What a great staff and first-class organization. Thank you guys.”

It remains to be seen if there’s an opportunity for Mason on the Lakers’ NBA bench. But if one presents itself, he would be joining a roster that not only features LeBron James and Anthony Davis — two of the top 10 players in the game today — but also includes Laker newcomers Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook.

Also on this year’s Lakers roster are former NBA all-stars Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan.

While Westbrook and Rondo are clearly pencilled in as the Lakers’ top two options at the point, the only other player on the current Lakers roster listed as a point guard is Joel Ayayi, a rookie from Gonzaga who is signed a two-way deal with the franchise after going undrafted.

Former Oklahoma standout Austin Reaves, along with former Texas Tech gunner Mac McClung also are on the Lakers’ revamped roster heading into the season. Both are candidates for roster spots with the Lakers’ G League club, the South Bay Lakers.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.